Rumour: Slimmer 360 coming in 2009 *BUSTED*

103
Joe Robinson

Microsoft is rumoured to be working on a slimmer version of their Xbox 360 console, and that an official announcement will be made in December this year.

According to gameguru.in, Microsoft execs announced at a recent event in Delhi that the new re-design will be available sometime in 2009.

Other announcements supposedly included a new Xbox packaged deal for India, as well as revealing that the sub-continent will be receiving Fable 2, Fallout 3 and Gears of War 2 a whole week before each title's worldwide release.

If this is true, it almost makes you want to be Indian doesn't it?

Sources: GameGuru.in and Split-Screen.com (Information unverified)

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Update: As the validity of these reports were questioned more and more, the author of the Split-screen article made a public statement over on N4G about all of the queries raised by his article:

"... First of all, on the validity of the source: It came straight from Microsoft India's Retail Services Manager. The reason you don't see him named (simply the words "MS execs" are displayed) it's because MS and Genesis (the PR company who promotes the 360 here) were ping-ponging back and forth about whether to let some sites run the story or not. Some things like the package deal could be reported and others like the new IPs announcement you'll see on gameguru.in were not allowed. However, the key word is "ping-ponging": They had no problem with us noting the info, they said they had no prob making it public and for that matter, we haven't received any phone calls (neither Split-screen nor Gameguru) telling us to remove it. Other sites like The Angry Pixel have not been so fortunate and had to hold back a large amount of news as a result.

The point is: It's real and we can expect an announcement in December, which seems in line with Engadget's report on the new redesign coming in 2009 along with Valhalla chips combining the CPU and GPU chips..."

So, what do we think? Red Herring or Real Deal? I guess only time will tell...

--

Busted: Split-Screen confirmed that this is purely rumour and speculation, quoting a segment from an official press release by Microsoft:

"...We would not like to comment on any market speculation or rumor. In India, we have the Xbox 360 Core and the Xbox 360 Pro console currently available in the market. There are exciting new game titles like Gears of War 2, Fable II and Fallout 3 in the pipeline for the holiday season along with special promotions and festival offers..."

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Popular opinion is that a slim 360 can be expected at some point, just not within the time frame this story suggested. Nevermind.

Comments
103
  • ...!?
  • That's cool. I guess we can expect the price to be higher than the standard console? If they make a slimline Elite, then I'll wait for that.
  • WTF. I'm not going to buy another 360 because it's slimmer. although i'm sure many will. As long as I don't see any of my friends on GOW2, then i'm with waiting
  • Good job i live in England, I can ask my next door neighbour to ask his family back in india to send fable 2 over early. it that don't work there plenty more indians round my area.
  • whatever...
  • Sounds good, the 360 is quite a chunky monkey.
  • Go India! xD
  • I agree with Mogablah This is just blah. Give us blu-ray-functionality or on-the-fly browser through the guide and you got a deal MS And yes Im fully aware that browser would besoftware not hardware.
  • 'Almost makes you want to be Indian doesn't it?' No id rather be dead. But a smaller 360 is good unless its ugly like the PS3.
  • I'd be happy with an XBox 360 that doesn't sound like a jet-engine, makes it awful to listen to music through or watch videos.
  • if mine dies i guess ima go for a slim one. i just hope that dont mean we got to get a different hardrive or sumthin..
  • @ Ruthless Potato There's no need for those kind of comments please
  • nice comment Ruthless Potato i agree, but i dont see a need or point for a smaller 360 as slimline technology seems to break and lag badly and the regular 360 already does that enough
  • wow another console? They should just fix it instead of reaping out these new editions. It will be broken too i bet.
  • A slimmer one would be nice, but I'll have to see a few more specs on it before I rush out to buy a new one. Although if they do a Slimmed down Elite I just might have to buy that one.
  • I really hope no one buys this
  • @ #13 I agree with your comment, no need for that type of re-mark.. couldnt care less about the "slim" version.. I expect to see RRoD rearing its ugly head again shortly after the launch of it. however it worked for the PS2 so good on them for trying. As for GoW2.. lucky people
  • maybe there trying to reward all the call center employees...lol
  • I never understood the problem with size on a console. With something like the DS i can understand making it smaller and lighter with the DS lite, but for something thats sat on your TV shelf or floor or whatever, it really doesnt matter, its not supposed to be portable.
  • Perhaps Microsoft should worry less about the thickness of their console and concentrate more on creating a console with a lifespan of more than 6 months. I'm on my 5th machine now and I for one would prefer they sorted out the real issues with the machine than wasting time messing around with the cosmetics.
  • Darn, I need a new 360 now.
  • This is my 5th damn 360 and I am not going to buy a new "slim" one haha
  • @18: LMAO, I almost choked on my noodles! @Ruthless: There is nothing wrong with Indians, them guys know how to drive a mean Taxi!
  • Wow M$ are money grabbing fiends & i agree with comment #20. I'm currnetly on my 4th 360 machine while I'm still on my 1st Wii/PS3 xD they really need to start focusing on fixing how quickly the 360 dies SERIOUSLY im getting quite tired of it!
  • This all smells like a troll to me.
  • Cool, if it's also a Pro (not just Elite or somthin) I'll propably sell my xbox and buy this new one, =P
  • Wow, a Slim 360? I wonder where all the heat's going to go then.
  • What about the HDD? Surely they will have to make it slimmer too?
  • haha at coment 10 that was haliorus LOL
  • @16 about RRoD lol basically it will laugh at us by going - the launch date of slim 360,RRoD: ''I'MMMMMM BACCCCKKK and BADDDER THAN EVER!!!!.......O Dont forget slimmer too'' lol I'm predicting this console having fan issues like the slimline ps2 and seeing it more expensive than the original size ones.
  • @#18 Lmao. I also choked on noodles! No need for a slimmer console. What Microsoft should really be doing is making a working system first. THEN they should worry about making a slimmer console.
  • It always something new with f'in microsoft. heres more memory, oh wait, heres and upgraded version(aka the elite), ok lets give them some more memory. ok now lets do a halo console. now a price drop. ok now a price drop thats half the price of the 360 at launch. now a fuckin slim version. shittttt! im fuckin sick of this...im only on my 2nd 360 and im currenty having problems with it reading discs. definetly not as bad as as 4th and 5th 360 as posted above but come the fuck on! i know that developement can only get cheaper but shit I feel completely alienated that I am one of the many consumers that helped make this console successful at launch and what the fuck do I get....oh yea, the RROD. and nothing for it but a month of free live which only benefits them in the long run. i am g
  • got cut off ... i am growing to hate microsoft and im g too
  • WHAT THE MOTHERFUCKING FUCK IS HAPPENING TO THE WORLD!!! RIGHT let me get this straight, for example, Fable 2, made in England, actually not far away from me, maybe an hour or so, gets released 3 days BEFORE england in America ok can accept that one America gets everything before us, now your tellin me a 3rd world country im not being offensive in any way, (ive spent quite a bit of time in india) is getting top titles before us!?!?! about 3/4 of the places i visited in India were at least 40 miles away from electricity?? Errrrr England............... Does it exist????
  • TMG100 the only thing you did in India was NUT someone at the Taj Mahal lol its why i love you
  • Very true he was a complete twat aswell
  • Well, They want all of their support center (the people you call) to know what your talking about when you call to get help or something.
  • Lol @ # 35,36 - Nice one fellas go back and do the twat proper this time lol. I myself am a decent English citizen and wouldnt be seen dead in a shithole like that unless i was a joe daki!!! p.s im not racist.
  • for why?
  • For the Slim Version of Xbox 360 it is not true there was a picture that surfaced showing 2 Xbox 360's side by side, but one "looked" slimmer then other must likely due to the angle the guy that took the picture proved that it is not true here is the link to the picture and story http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/09/25/slimmer-xbox-360-spied-in-the-wild-sorry-but-no.aspx
  • duh, why not? And you don't need to be Indian, before everyone and everything is, even santa claus is indian, all actors and actresses are indian, the whole royal family is indian (except Prince Charles), art is indian and many more... yes sounds rubbish
  • dont they just pirate most games in india anyway? a slim version that overheats and gets the red rings great! but seriously size is not a big issue except with the girls. i just want good well priced games at the same time as the rest of the world on a console that works!
  • Jog on micro$oft
  • I hope HDD's and wifi adapters will still fit nicely.
  • Dumb move by MS if true. Most stores in India deal in Pirated games and most Indian gamers use flashed boxes and bootlegs.
  • It can't be that slimmer, I mean, it still has to fit the harddrive on it.
  • I totally agree with #4
  • @ Ruthless Potato ....... hahahahaha funny guy! i agree ;)
  • Sounds like a bunch of BS to me. #41 already shot down the original picture, and even though some of those sites say there are reports of it elsewhere, I doubt it's going to happen. They have enough issues with the original model that they need to work on first. At least no one has claimed that this is the model with the so-called built in Blu-ray disc drive and motion sensing controller yet. :P
  • ps2 copy, i wont buy it unless it offers something new and better
  • They should definatly try to release it before christmas so they can increase thier sales
  • as long as they fix the whole Red Rings shit i will probably buy it. if i buy it and the shit gets the red rings...Ps3 here i come.
  • they better extend warrenties 360s r still breaking
  • lol at #10
  • The games are being launched in India manchester, not the shit hole in the sub continent, they're all here claiming off the state for the new console and games. lol
  • Guys, I am literally appalled by the amount of blatant racism going on here. What the fuck is wrong with all of you? So India gets some games before we do, whoopdy fricking doo. Get over it. As for the images on the two source articles: Yes, they are fake - they were never meant to be considered as real. Seriously though, just stop with the racist comments, I thought you were all better then that.
  • @57 im not better im worse im with flackmonkey666 im going down to the social office to see if i can claim for a new slim xbox.they aredoin it so i will to
  • Chill out man, your obviously a bit sensetive about this sort of thing, listen mate over here UK they scrounge everything that they can, we're just joking so why dont you get over it
  • Plus your only 20, probably dont pay vast amounts of tax and believe that we should all hug each other, bollox
  • I know what they do in the UK Flack, I live here - and I don't think we should all hug each other either. ( I sure as hell don't want to hug you ) FYI - India is one of the largest 'un-tapped' gaming markets in the world, the other being China. This is why companies like Microsoft give them 'preferential' treatment.
  • Anyway, crybaby's and multi-cultural flag wavers aside, Microsoft would be much better just fixing the damn thing instead of making a new one, if it is a slimline version will that mean that they have changed the strength of the mother board, which is the main reason for the ring of death????.....
  • JustCommunication you should know better if your English. Everyone in England is racist, get over it.
  • I know, I have an Afro-Carribean friend who I'm mildly-racist to all the time, it's fun times.
  • Slimmer doesn't mean anything to me. What the 360 really needs is a browser and possibly Blu Ray funcionality.
  • I am deeply offended that you dont want to hug me, but I think I will survive, maybe with your next dole chq you can buy yourself a sense of humour, or maybe a plane ticket so you can go play with your buddy's. lol
  • So apparently in Just communications world its ok to be racist to afro-carribean people but not to pakistanis or indians, you need help man. ha ha ha ha ha
  • seriously laughing my ass of at @1 if there not gonna get it theres plenty more indians around my area hahaha anyway to be serious. This is great news and im defiently gona get a slim one
  • What's with all the RACIST comments? You guys don't deserve a 360. I'm looking forward to se what this slim 360 has to offer (Hopefully quiet, maybe blu-ray player on the fly) That would be a pre-order for me :) PS: @Ruthless Potato, I'm English and i aint no racist.
  • The world is full of racists, especially the video game community. Whoever didn't see racist comments being posted over this is blind as hell. Honestly who gives a damn if an area gets it a week before the rest of the world?
  • Well, they said that the 360 was supposed to be out of date by 2010, so it seems a bit pointless buying one just because it's slimmer, and if it will be out of date in about a year.
  • nothing more stupid than hating someone because of the color of their skin or where they originate from, BUT I do agree that no country should get anything before us on a system by americans. Yeah it's good for Microsoft to appeal to the other countries around the world, so don't get me wrong. But I still say we should get first dibs on EVERYTHING on our own system, American gamers should be coming first from Microsoft. Sony gives their japanese fan base everything first pick, which is a no-brainer, I guess the more Microsoft kicks us to the back and appeals to other countries the more sales, but at what cost? shoving our faces in the mud as usual.
  • QUIET is better than slimmer.
  • look ... im a bit pissed off that the yanks always gets the games first but im always pissed if some one gets the game b4 uk.. i think they all should come out on the same day.. i guess it will only be fair!
  • I'm on my fifteen thousand millionth 360 blah blah blah shut up they don't break down anymore mine has never broke down in the two plus years that I have had mine. Slim would be cool too.
  • Seriously doubtful about this but it would be cool. Hopefully it won't sound like a small aeroplane and have a terminal red illness that could strike at any moment. In all honesty though they are more likely to make a new console than to redesign one thats dated, after all it is a 2005 console.
  • @ #18: Yeah, that's what I thought aswell LOL.
  • Like everyone else has said i hope that it is quieter if it is true.
  • A slimmer 360 sounds pretty cool, hopefully it'll be pretty cheap so my friends will want to get one finally. :)
  • its sounds cool but one 360 is enough for me and its current size is not a problem
  • MS should put money on a good system with not RRoD or other errror that should never happen . Dont care about a slimmer , I'm not bringing my xbox with me when I'm walking on the street.Its on a desk beside my tv and never moved.Overheating,RRoD,error no 72-73-73-75 etc are the real problems , really a shame how xbox 360 is not stable. If they dont do something , Dev on next-gen and best exclusivity will go to playstation, cause if I was a Dev , I would screw xbox.
  • @tmg100 - The reason Fable 2 is coming out in America first is because purely of Microsoft, if it were up to Lionhead they would release in England first. @66 - He just contradicted himself there, racist bastard ;) Lastly, if they were going to release a slimmer one it would overheat a hell of a lot faster than the normal one, they should make it bigger
  • slimmer=less memory no doubt
  • @#74... do you at all know what your talking about?? they dont break down anymore? well I assume your narrowminded view of the situation only reflects your experience. I have a friend who just a couple days ago had his 2nd crap out on him. do some fuckin reasearch you douche, the problem still persists. they only thing correct about your post, and I agree, slim would be cool
  • If they are making the 360 slimer then it because of the Japanese Sales cause Japan likes slimer Electronic for their small house and Apartments.
  • I think Japan is fine with the current size- the console really isn't that enormous, and if they don't have enough space for it, they have way too much shit crowding their apartments.
  • What is the point of a smaller 360? It's not like I'm carrying it around in my pocket.
  • Holy shit!! I really can't believe some of the crap I'm reading here. If the idea was to bring down the view of this site by posting such poor taste comments to world wide viewers - you've done an excellent job!! Shit heads!!!
  • 360 wishes it was the PS3
  • @88 how? the PS3 is huge. Remember all the crap sony fanboys used to say about the size of the xbox? Anyway, was expecting the racist comments from the english(not say you're all racist) just that alot are racist towards indians and pakistanies(sp?) surprized i havent seen the word p**i, seeing most racists arent smart enough to know the diff.
  • That is simply a waste of time and money. How many people have asked for a slimmer 360 compared to the amount of people who have asked for a 360 that wont crap out on them with probs like the RRoD...
  • A slimmer xbox 360? I don't care if we go back to the old brick xbox, just make something that works.
  • this is how you get it counter productive..... the Indian way
  • indians smell like curry
  • Awesome! This means that when yet ANOTHER xbox 360 dies on me,and I go to buy a new one,it'll be thinner!
  • lol, I'm saying, SoulReaver66. They seem to forget about their hardcore fans even though we're the fans that bought the console many times over. :p Lucky #7 has been holding up for me.
  • whats with all these complaints about 360s having problems? am i really that lucky too have an awsome piece of gaming equipment that doesnt break?? THANK YOU JESUS!!!
  • I am amazed how a post on gaming reverted to bashing Indians. Hear that sound...it is several million people of Indian descent clicking over to the other achievement site. Way to represent x360a.
  • "Popular opinion is that a slim 360 can be expected at some point, just not within the time frame this story suggested." Nah, I doubt it. Microsoft isn't Sony. There wasn't a slim Xbox and there probably won't be a slim 360 either.
  • my eilte is quite plus i dont really care about slim its a xbox360 not a fashion icon
  • "THANK YOU COME AGAIN"
  • Hundred and first! lol @100 Not all Indians are bad but you get a fair amount sponging for their entire tribe here, setting a bad example for them all. Plus, quite a lot of them do smell of curry, not nice to sit on the bus next to.
  • When are they gonna release the MEXBOX 360 you know the one with loose wires and a disk drive from a 90's PC that was built in Tijuana, Mexico. thats held together in a cardboard box. COME ON DO THEY SERIOUSLY NEED A SLIMMER CONSOLE OR ARE THEY TRYING TO MANUFACTURE HOUSEHOLD HEATERS IM ON MY 4TH CONSOLE AND I HAD TO MOD IT WITH UPGRADED FANS SO IT WOULD LAST MORE THAN 5 MONTHS BECAUSE IT GETS SO HOT, IT HEATS MY ROOM FROM 69deg. TO ABOUT 86deg. ITS TERRIBLE!!! FU MICROSOFT GO DIE IN A HOUSEHOLD FIRE CAUSED BY ONE OF YOUR XBOX 360 DEVICES!!! LOL
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